Officials say that inside the residence they discovered the young boy, 2-year-old Chase Thomas lying on the floor, already cold to the touch; and pronounced the boy dead on the scene.

Emergency medical technicians immediately took note of bruises on the young child and wrote in their report that he was <i>”extremely malnourished”</i>, later suggesting that he may have been starved.

Upon further examination of the child, they discovered ligature marks on the boy's forearms, suggesting that he had been tied up and bound.

There was bruising from head to toe, on his chest, legs, back, neck, and face. Reports also show that the child's back was covered in deep scratch marks.

Authorities promptly determined they may have a homicide case and began to interview the boy's mother, 27-year-old Twyana Thomas of Kenner.

Thomas told police that she had sole custody of two-year-old chase and was the only caregiver involved in his life.

Detectives asked Thomas how her son had received such vicious bruises on his body at two years of age, and she told police that she had hit him with a slipper as a form of punishment for his disobedience.

To explain the ligature marks in his firearms Thomas said that she would tie him up with a cloth when he was misbehaving so he wouldn't be able to violate her rules.

Investigators then placed Thomas under arrest with the initial charge of cruelty to a juvenile and took her into custody.

Monday the Jefferson Parish County Coroner performed an external examination followed by an autopsy on Chase Thomas and came to the conclusion that he was killed by way of blunt force trauma and indeed suffered severe abuse at the hands of the woman who was supposed to be his mother, ruling the case a homicide.

That's when law enforcement upgraded the charges against Twyana Thomas to second-degree murder, and she will now be arraigned in court while in custody for the death of her son.

The Department of Children and Family Services say that they've also removed Thomas’ other three children from the home, ages 1, 4, and 9.

To make matters even worse, Thomas is currently pregnant with what would have been her fifth child.

Authorities are now looking for evidence that Thomas may have abused her other children and are asking friends, family, or anyone who may have information about this case or the other children to contact Detective Peter Foltz at 504-712-2253 or Detective Mike Jackson at 504-712-2283.